Crystal Rain
by Andy's a Star
Summary: “Kiba, why does it rain?” Toboe asked, staring up at the darkened clouds as rain fell angrily on the roof of their makeshift shelter. Kiba remained silent, until one voice answered, “Because the moon is crying..." OC Alert, possible Mary-Sue fic.
1. Prologue

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain, though I have out in a bid for a Kiba plushie on ebay! )

Snippet: "Kiba, why does it rain?" Toboe asked, staring up at the darkened clouds as rain fell angrily on the roof of their makeshift shelter. Kiba remained silent, until one voice answered, "Because the moon is crying, and it's tears become crystals that fall unto the earth."

Prologue

The wolf pup dodged another kick as she was chased from the dumpsters of the restaurant, the owner cursing loudly as she retreated, her bushy tail tucked between her legs as she ran. "And stay out, you damn mutt!" he cursed, throwing a glass bottle after her, the projectile shattering across her back. She yelped in pain, and limped back to her home, a ragtag box in the alleyway. As she limped, her blood dripped down her black fur and onto the hard concrete, leaving paw-prints of blood behind her.

She arrived back at her home, and was met with her owner, a homeless human woman named Sarah. Sarah cooed happily at her return, but noticed the blood dripping down her side. "Oh, my poor Suzette! What happened to you?" she cried out in a soft voice, caressing the wolf's muzzle with a gentle touch. Suzette calmed herself, and laid her head in Sarah's lap, her pale gold eyes fluttering shut for a moment. Sarah rummaged in her pockets, and pulled out a handful of slashed cloth, which she set down on her newspaper pillow. She pulled out a rag, and dipped it into the rainwater collector that provided her homeless community with water. Humming softly, Sarah gently cleaned the blood away from her gash, and picked out the small pieces of glass that clung to the wound, tossing them away. Taking the strips of cloth, she wrapped them snugly around Suzette's ribs, tying it off with a small bow. "All better, _ma petit._" Sarah smiled, and kissed the wolf on the nose.

Suzette woke some time later, surprised to find Sarah digging through her special box. She whined slightly, and nosed at the box, as if to ask, "What are you doing?" Sarah smiled knowingly. "_Ma petite, _I don't have much time left here. I sense that something horrible is going to happen, and I will be forced to leave you. I want you to keep this special as a _memoir_." she explained, and set a handful of golden hoops on the cold stone beside her. "Suzette, you must take care. The soldiers will come tomorrow, and they will take me far away. I may never see you again, _ma petite_, and I want you to remember me." Sarah continued, and slid the hoops over Suzette's slim front left paw. They slid comfortably down to rest on her 'ankle', but were not so loose that they came off. Suzette looked to her owner with a confused expression in her eyes. "I know, my little one. I know." Was all she said, before hugging the wolf tightly; Suzette closed her eyes, and relaxed. _I don't want you to leave me, Sarah. _She thought to herself, and nuzzled her shoulder.

The next day Sarah awoke to her premonition coming true. The soldiers had come in the night, taking the humans away kicking and screaming to their tanks. Their screams echoed through her alley, and dragged her from a deep slumber. Suzette lay curled against her side, keeping the human warm, her eyes closed in peaceful sleep. Sarah kissed the wolf on the nose, and whispered a short farewell. "Goodbye, _ma petite_, my Suzette..." her voice drifted off as the soldiers spotted her. She walked towards them, her hands raised in Gallic surrender. "I give." She said, before the bullet tore through her flesh and the gunshot sounded throughout the alley. Suzette jumped awake, and watched as Sarah fell in slow motion, blood spurting from the wound in her chest, her body sinking to the cold stone in a graceful arch. Suzette howled out, and raced to Sarah's side. She licked her paling face, the salty tears coming away with each gentle lick. "Suzette? _Ma petite? _Where are you, I can't see you..." Sarah spoke, coughing up blood as she stretched her hand towards Suzette's muzzle. _I'm right here, Sarah! Right here! _The wolf whimpered, watching in fear as Sarah's hand graced her muzzle, then fell to the stone. "Farewell, _ma petite..._" she whispered, and spoke no more. Suzette nudged her body gently, then progressively harder. She howled out, long and deep, a song full of anguish filling the air. She turned her molten golden gaze to the solider who killed Sarah, her puppy fangs bared and ready. Leaping through the air, she latched onto his neck, tearing away the life vein, his blood spraying through the air like a satanic fountain. Licking her chops, Suzette stared at the other two soldiers, growling darkly as she stepped towards them with meaning in each movement. She dodged the shots fired at her with amazing speed, before ripping each one's throat away with quick and deadly precision.

A triumphant howl ripped from her throat, reverberating throughout the city, sending chills down the soldiers' spines as she sang her song. She dragged Sarah back to their small home, covering her body with their blankets and belongings. _Farewell...Sarah._ The wolf said quietly, then walked away, not looking back as she trudged on.

Tee hee, my first Wolf's Rain fanfiction. I am so proud of it.

Respond to meh, and there shall be another chapter before tomorrow! D

-_Sakura_


	2. Meetings

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

Disclaimer: I do not own anything by Wolf's Rain, except for my wolf Suzette. I didn't make the plushie bid. T.T

Chapter 1: Meetings

A pack of four wolves snuck into the city, wary of contact in any way, shape or form with the humans. A tan, heavily built wolf wearing a brown leather collar sniffed the air, his stomach growling with discontent as he followed the delicious scent of hot dogs. After what seemed like eternity, the wolf, Hige, located the vendor's stand, the hot dogs sizzling pleasantly on their electric rolling grill. Assuming the mortal guise for a moment, Hige hummed to himself as he prepared his hot dog with the works – onions, chili, relish, mustard – everything. His three companions arrived just after he took the first tenacious bite, his fangs sinking into the hot meat, the savory flavor making him close his eyes in pleasure. "Tubby, make sure to save some for the rest of us." The gray wolf Tsume commented, snatching a couple hot dogs for himself. The runt, a rust-colored lanky pup named Toboe gingerly picked up the hot sausage, and quickly devoured it. He smiled big at Tsume, who growled and gobbled up his own hot dogs. A thin young woman in a cloak stepped gingerly from the white wolf's back, her bright red eyes staring around in wonder at the ruined city.

"Kiba, this one is thirsty..." the woman, Cheza, said in a soft melodic voice. Kiba nodded, and looked up as the clouds darkened with rain, almost as if Cheza had asked it to rain. The cold water came down in torrents, the clear liquid running down in tiny rivulets down their fur. "We should find shelter, just to rest for a day." Toboe spoke up, licking at his sore paws with distaste. Kiba looked to Cheza who nodded as she drank her fill of the rain. "This one would like to rest with the wolves." She said softly, smiling as the rain fell on her in crystal rivers. The four wolves and the flower maiden walked the abandoned alleyways of the city, before finding a large pipe where a homeless mortal had once stayed. Toboe curled up on his side, resting his head on his forepaws. Looking over to Kiba, he sighed. "Kiba, why does it rain?" Toboe asked, staring up at the darkened clouds as rain fell angrily on the roof of their makeshift shelter. Kiba remained silent, until one voice answered, "Because the moon is crying, and it's tears become the crystal rain that falls upon the earth, nurturing all who draw strength from it's bounty." Tsume whirled around to face the darkness, only a pair of glowing pale gold eyes could be seen. "Show yourself!" he snarled, baring his fangs. The loud clicking of claws on metal could be heard as a thin black wolf emerged from the darkness, a white bandage wrapped across her middle. "Who are you?" Kiba asked, not exactly trusting the strange wolf.

"I am Suzette, and this is my city. Who are you?" she challenged, raising her black head haughtily. Toboe sat back on his haunches, cocking his head sideways as he watched the other wolf sit. "I'm Toboe, and this is Hige, Tsume, Kiba, and Cheza!" he said excitedly, pointing at Hige, Tsume, Kiba, and Cheza respectfully as he said their names. Suzette nodded to each of them in turn. "Where is your pack, girl?" Tsume asked Suzette, looking at her with critical eyes. "I have no pack, I've lived with Sarah until yesterday..." Suzette began, a faraway look in her eyes as she spoke of this Sarah. "Who is Sarah?" Toboe asked out of puppy-like curiosity. Suzette had a pained expression on her face as she spoke, a tale of tragedy, love, and another life, far from this city. "Sarah was my owner and companion, she cared for me until yesterday, when Jagara's soldiers killed her. I got them back though – I killed the four who killed her. Their carcasses I dragged to the dumpster." She said quietly. "Now I am alone, I have no memories of my family, except Sarah. She raised me from a small pup." Suzette added, sitting back on her haunches. Cheza smiled, and walked over to Suzette and stroked her head gently. "This one is sorry for your loss. Would you come with us to Paradise?" Cheza asked in her gentle way, still stroking the wolf's muzzle. Suzette stepped back, and looked up at the flower maiden. "You smell like flowers...flowers I smelled in what seems like another lifetime..." she said in quiet astonishment. "I will travel with you – I have no purpose here." She added, and nuzzled Cheza's hand out of respect. The golden bangles on her paw jingled pleasantly with each step she took. "Not another pup!" he grumbled, looking at the girl-pup with distaste. "I can watch out for myself, old man." She growled back at him, her hackles rising in her chagrin.

"Don't start." Kiba growled out, and they both were silenced. Suzette gave Tsume a look of pure venom, and he returned with an angry snort. Toboe piped up. "I think we should get some sleep, it's still a long way to Paradise." He smiled, and curled up on the cloth thrown haphazardly on the cold metal, his bushy tail covering his nose. "We'll finish this later, Gramps." Suzette said to Tsume, her voice was sugary-sweet, but held promise of her malice. She too, curled up by the lip of the pipe, laying her head on her forepaws as she watched the rain fall, lulling her to sleep.

Yeah I know, short first chapter. It'll get better, you'll see.

_-Sakura_


	3. Sapphire Skies

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain Fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

Disclaimer – I do not own any Wolf's Rain paraphernalia, but I hope to get some this Christmas.

**Shadowdude567** – You were my first ever reviewer! Yay! Thanks for your advice, I will keep writing. :D

**Kibas-Wolf** – I'll try and keep writing, I'm at school now, and I'm on break. I'll try and get in a couple chapters, lol.

**Devi of the Wolves – **Thanks babe, I checked your bio an stuff – I'm on your favorite stories list! I'll get to your story in a few minutes- I wanna get out a chapter or two first. ;)

**i-dun-did-it – **Thanks for reading.

**Stefanie –** I didn't intend to make this a Mary-Sue, but it may very well to turn out to be one. I never thought of putting a label on the summary, I'll get to that when I update. Thanks.

**Kris – **Thanks for your review, it helped me a lot.

**Eva Eville Stolie – **Sweetie, I'm sorry if you don't like my story, or my OC...but that doesn't mean you should whip out a flame or anything. If you don't like how I write, or the characters I made – then I guess you should just not read my stuff, okay? Thanks. Oh yes, you misspelled "plebian". It's "plebeian." .:

**Mimiru-12 – **Thanks babe lol I'm not really into Beyblade, but I'll read your fics...and review of course! D

**Yaminah – **Thanks for your review, it really inspired me to write – all of my reviews inspired me. Except Miss Stolie's...hmm.

**Wolfdreams – **I'm working on it sugar, I got a lot of school work to do, so updates will be a lot of chapters at once, every so often. ;;

And now – on to the story! D

Chapter 2 – Sapphire Skies

Suzette looked back to her home, the abandoned city an ominous splotch on the horizon. "You okay, Suzu?" Toboe asked her, his voice breaking through her concentration. She chuckled a little at her new nickname. "I'm okay. Just saying goodbye is all." She said, smiling in her human guise. Toboe quirked an eyebrow suspiciously, but let it slide. They were on an adventure to Paradise after all. This was not the time for silly head games. The black-coated female trotted a little faster, her lanky legs straining slightly to keep Kiba's rigorous pace.

Tsume growled at Suzette as she passed ahead of him. "Stay back there, pup. I don't need to smell you scent all the way to Paradise." He grumbled, snarling a bit as Suzette rolled her eyes and fell behind a little ways. "You don't need to worry about smelling me the whole way Gramps – Just keep the pace." She replied, her voice rumbling with a barely controlled growl. He snorted, and walked a little faster, placing himself further away from the young female.

The wolves had been traveling for nearly six hours, and snow had begun to fall nearly three hours into leaving Suzette's city. Toboe bit back whimpers as he trudged on, leaving bloodied paw-prints in the snow behind him, ice cutting into the fleshy pads of his paws. Suzette gritted her fangs and walked next to Toboe, moving on instinct to keep him warmer. "You okay?" she managed, the icy wind chilling her to the bone, even through her thick black coat. "I'm fine." He answered, his jaws chattering slightly. 'Liar'. She thought dryly, and bristled her ruff in order to find more warmth. She was not one to give up so easily, but it was damn cold, and so was she. "Hey Kiba, can we stop until this storm passes? It's getting almost too much for even us to travel on." Suzette called ahead to the white wolf, who turned to converse quietly with Cheza. She caught wisps of their conversation, and was pleased when they stopped where they were and began burrowing in to the snow.

An hour had passed, and the storm had let up very little. Suzette had burrowed near Toboe, because she knew he was horribly cold, though he'd never admit it. "Toboe, scoot over, you're sitting on my tail." She grumbled, half-asleep. He scooted over a little, freeing her bushy plume. Their breath mingled as they curled by each other, becoming icy exhalations of mist with each breath. "Let's sleep for a bit, then we'll hunt maybe." She yawned, revealing her puppy fangs to the cold air, making her snap her jaws shut with a metallic click. Toboe closed his eyes gently, Suzette being so close reminded him of his Grandma, and even of life before that. A litter of puppies rumbling and tumbling over each other in the forest faded into view as he snored quietly, memories he had long since forgotten.

Suzette slept, but it was an uneasy sleep of memories past. She dreamt of Sarah finding her that one day outside the city, she had been scrounging for scraps in the trash pile of a Chinese restaurant, chop suey noodles hanging from her velvety muzzle as she looked up in surprise. Her legs twitched in her sleep as she remembered running wide open in the park before it had died, the enormous trees slowly dying, turning brown in their deaths, before men appeared with their axes, chopping the huge oaks into firewood for the coming winter. The grass had been burned in the final freeze of fall, the individual blades crunching unhappily beneath her young paws.

Tsume snarled as he shook snow from his heavy gray coat, standing stiff-legged to wake up from his drowsy state-of-mind. Grumbling about stupid wolf pups and the snow, he padded over to a small hill that hid the annoying girl-pup and the runt. Digging into the snow with his muzzle, he found a scruff and hooked his fangs into it and pulled up, Toboe bursting from the snowy mound in a flurry of kicking legs and a spray of snow. "Tsume, that was mean." The runt whined, sitting down to shiver unpleasantly. He growled, before digging Suzette from her slumber by grabbing her scruff as well, yanking a little too hard, making her yelp out in pain, leaping from her lying position to full-standing in an instant. "Dammit Gramps, let sleeping wolves lie!" she growled out, shaking snow from her tail, her pale honey eyes narrowed in sleepy anger.

"Let's move." Kiba said suddenly, standing up to begin walking. Toboe stretched out, before trotting over to trip over Hige. "Ow.." the wolf pup grumbled, from his spread-eagle position on the snowy ground. Hige yawned in his lazy way, standing up to shake the snow from his body in a leisurely manner. There was a moment's pause, then the four lagging wolves leapt into action, trotting after Kiba who had begun to shrink into the horizon. "Wait for us Kiba!" Toboe cried out, stretching out his lithe body to lope after the older wolf. Suzette followed, running at nearly her top speed to catch up with the single-minded drive of the white wolf, Tsume hot on her heels.

"Let's go you guys – let's go to paradise." Toboe grinned, piping a thin howl to show how excited he was. "Pipe down, runt." Tsume growled, thumping Toboe in the back of the hand impatiently. "Ow, Tsume, don't be so mean!" he whined, nursing his wound. "Oh, both of you can it, make this a quiet trip, please?" Suzette growled out, and everything resumed to normal – or, as normal as talking wolves could be.

Oh hell yes, this is my longest chapter yet! I am so proud, that took only twenty minutes to type, I hope it's good. Til next time,

_Sakura_


	4. Garnet Sunsets

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura _

Disclaimer: I still don't own it – if you want to sue me then you'd get...Lint...and some sand. Whoo, you'd be rich, let me tell ya, lol.

Chapter Three: Garnet Sunsets

The pack had been traveling for nearly a week together, and they had picked up a new member. Her name was Blue, and she was an older half-wolf, half-dog hybrid. Hige seemed so smitten with her, but then again, as Suzette had observed, he was a lady-killer. Watching him try and woo Blue on the journey was laughable, she kept turning him down – but she sensed that Blue was beginning to fall for the hot dog wolf, if just a small bit.

She yawned, revealing her fangs that had seemed to grow considerably since her journey began. Tsume seemed to notice, and didn't treat as her as horribly as at first, he gave her a little more berth on the trail, and didn't snap as much. But he was still hard to Toboe, growling at him. Never called him by his name. It infuriated her, but she dealt with it, as Toboe didn't seem to mind much. "Toboe! Wait up!" she called, watching Toboe wander off the path. The lanky boy turned and smiled at her. "I'm going hunting – wanna come with me?" he asked hopefully. Suzette nodded her head energetically – she loved hunting with the other wolves, it made her feel whole. Like she belonged, which was such a beautiful feeling.

Tsume watched the two pups run off towards a patch of woodland, growling at them in parental distaste. "Foolish pups." He grumbled, breaking into a slow lope after them. "Tsume, where are you going?" Hige yelled after him. "Hunting!" he replied over his shoulder, quickly disappearing into the distance.

"Commence as agreed." Jagara's voice crackled through the soldier's helmet microphone. He grunted in approval, shouldering his rifle. Moving stealthily through the trees, he gave the order to put up the barrier around the patch of woods, in order to release the weapon. The weapon bounded from its titanium cage, the long, menacing claws of its front end tearing into the snow. Its body was lean and muscled, covered in short, golden fur. The strange creature sniffed at the paw-prints, its snake-like tail whipping through the air with an evil hiss. The weapon was strange, a mismatched creature with the body of a goat, the head of a lion, and a snake for a tail. This creature defied all science – the Chimera.

"Shh." Suzette whispered to Toboe, snuffling at a fresh pair of cloven-hoofed tracks. "A deer...maybe a goat. It smells weird." She commented softly, looking around them carefully. Toboe scented the air, before snapping his head to the west of them. "Something's over there. Something...big. Moving fast." He added, shivering with the adrenaline rush of the hunt. Suzette bared her fangs as the thunderous footfalls of the supposed goat came closer and closer. She caught a flash of movement through the trees before her ears fell back in fright. "Toboe...it's not a goat. Or a deer. I don't know what it is. Let's go." She hissed to him, turning to run for the other wolves. Toboe smelled her fear, and became afraid as well, his paws stumbling over each other as he tried to bound away. The creature burst into the small clearing, and Suzette stared at it in feared fascination. It had the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and a hissing snake for a tail. "Holy hell..." she whimpered, as its red beady eyes fell on her. "Toboe run. Now!" she growled, shoving at the other pup to get moving. He stood his ground. "I'm not running away- not this time." He growled out defiantly, taking a defensive stance against the creature. Suzette snarled her disapproval, but was secretly glad he stayed. She would need help on this one. She would have been overjoyed if Tsume or Kiba leapt into the clearing at the very moment. But it was not so.

Tsume bounded through snowdrifts, he could smell fear, and the pups, and something else. The scent was acrid and metallic, like death and old blood, it made him wrinkle his nose in distaste. . He moved faster, leaping over the invisible barrier in his hurry. 'Stupid runts.' He growled mentally, before hearing a pained cry. "Toboe!" he snarled, leaping forward with sudden strength. He jumped into the clearing, and stared dumbfounded at the strange creature that held Toboe in his fangs. "What the hell is that thing?" he wondered in angered disbelief. "Suzette!" he growled warningly, as the she-pup leapt on the creature's back, tearing at its vulnerable neck and back muscles. The snake tail whipped around her, sinking its fangs into her flesh several times, causing her to howl out in pain. Baring his fangs, he leapt onto the creature's back, tearing at it with his claws and fangs, the strange blue blood filling his mouth as it bled. Toboe twisted, still in its grasp, and sank his fangs into its throat. The dark blue blood spilled to the ground in torrents, melting the snow where ever it touched.

The chimera dropped Toboe as it fell, its jaw muscles slackening enough for the pup to worm free. Suzette and Tsume leapt down from its back, the black wolf collapsing where she landed. Her vision blurred, and she saw Toboe limp over to her side, Tsume looking at her with worry in his eyes. "I'm fine – just a little dizzy..." she said, before she rolled onto her side and fell unconscious.

"Tsume, is she okay?" Toboe was in a worried frenzy. "I think she was bitten by that snake tail too much. Poisoned." He said in a low voice, before throwing her onto his back. "Let's get her to Cheza." He muttered under his breath, and the two wolves limped out of the forest, leaving behind a steaming carcass and a gaggle of bewildered soldiers.

"Lieutenant can't believe that. Those three wolves alone killed the chimera. Lady Jagara is gonna be pissed –"the Private muttered to the solider standing off by himself. "Wrong, soldier. This is exactly what Lady wanted." He smirked, lighting up a cigarette from his pocket. Pursing his lips, he blew a thin stream of bluish smoke away, drifting away on an unseen breeze.

Cheza crouched by Suzette's body, shallow breathing the only sign of life in the pup. Toboe sat close by, watching her worriedly; they had become quite close since they first met. She was like an older sister of sorts to him. 'Be okay, Suzu. Be okay!' he prayed in his head, watching pale light emanate from Cheza's hands, flowing over Suzette. Minutes later, Cheza leaned over and stroked the pup's muzzle. "This one is glad you are safe." She murmured to Suzette, who sluggishly opened her eyes. She took a few gasping breaths, and carefully stood on unsteady legs. "What happened?" she said in wonderment, looking around at the other wolves. Blue had been watching closely, still wary of the girl-pup. "You were poisoned by that creature." Tsume announced. "Foolish pup." He added under his breath. Suzette saw the blood on Tsume's back, and knew it was her own. "Thanks...Tsume." She said quietly, looking away to the horizon. "We should get moving." Kiba said suddenly, Cheza mounting his back as they prepared to move on. "You gonna be okay, Suzette?" Hige asked her, noticing how wobbly she walked, like a newborn pup. "I'll be fine." She said icily, walking stiff-legged ahead of him, Toboe right behind her.

Lieutenant pressed a button on his remote, an ornate H engraved at the top. "Lead them to us, boy." He hissed under his breath, looking at the retreating wolves, the bulky brown one in particular.

Yay, another chapter! Almost 2 and a half pages long! W00t! D

Another one is on the backburner. I'll have my betas beta this one, and it'll be up shortly. :D

_Sakura_


	5. Obsidian Twilight

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain Fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

**Lady Tetsu-Maru** – I love Toboe too! I think I will make her fall for him – you'll just have to see if I do. Or if I'm a mean and horrible author person...hehehe...

**Rhythmic Breathing - **I'm glad you like it. It's my brainchild. Lol

**Absolkagome – **Oh my God, you rock. I read your story, Desert Flame, and it made me cry...it was so full of emotion and so well written. Kudos to thee! And yes, Suzette is a French name, I have no idea what it means, and yes, I am aiming at a ToboexSuzette pairing. But shh, I didn't say anything.

**Muhon-nin** – I'll try and get in two chapters every other day – weekends I could get in as many as three a day. Cheers!

Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain, but Suzette is my baby. You can use her if you'd like, just ask me for a detailed bio and description. I am in the middle of making her picture, so yeah. Oh yes, I got Wolf's rain DVDs 2 and 3! Hell yes! D

Chapter Four: Obsidian Twilight

Suzette shook her head roughly as she walked, the effects of the chimera's venom working its way out of her system. Toboe walked beside her, ever vigilant, watching her out of the corner of his gold eyes. "You feeling better, Suzu?" he asked her softly, flicking her playfully with his tail. Suzette grinned at him. "A lot better than I was." She replied, nipping at him, starting a full-blown play-fight. As they walked on, Suzette had tugged on his ear, tripped him, and nipped at his tail. In retaliation, Toboe had tackled her – sending her rolling to the side. They laughed happily, finding some joy on the solemn trip. Hige watched the two play, chuckling to himself, "Let's hope they don't have pups." He grinned to no one, and kept walking. Tsume sent a warning glare to the two. "Don't play around so much." He growled out, and the two stopped laughing and trotted to the other wolves. "Sorry Gramps." Suzette grinned, "We were just having a little fun." She finished, staring at her paw like it was the most interesting thing in the world.

Tsume sighed, before tuning them out. "Fine, play all you like, but if you get lost, that's your problem." He frowned, and turned his back to them. Suzette pounced on Toboe. "Well, you heard the wolf." She smiled, and growled at him in a playful tone, before the rust-colored wolf tackled her again. They circled each other, fangs bared in mock anger, tails bristled and hackles raised. Suzette blinked her soft gold eyes, and Toboe leapt at her, fangs bared. She gave an indignant squeak of surprise, then played dead, flopping down to a crouch. He sailed over her, landing on his forepaws, then wheeling around with precision not suiting his lanky body. She snapped at his heels, chuckling as he danced about to dodge her fangs. He tickled her nose with his tail, and she sneezed, giving him the opportunity to pin her to the ground with his paws1.

They laughed madly for a minute, then Suzette was silent for a moment. "What is it?" Toboe asked her, leaning his muzzle closer towards her. "This!" she cried out, licking his cheek, then worming out from under him as he froze. In his human guise, he had turned bright red, rubbing a hand over his cheek where she'd kissed him. In her human guise she crouched to her knees, the leather jacket she wore becoming dotted with a fresh flurry of powdery snow. "Now it is my turn to ask – are you okay?" she grinned coyly, winking at him playfully. Toboe stuttered over his words. "Y-yeah I'm j-just fine." He said nonchalantly, still blushing furiously, much to the satisfaction of Suzette. They stared at each other for a few minutes. Toboe looked at her human form, she was very pretty – short light red hair, bright gold-brown eyes, pale skin...she wore a black leather jacket over a black camisole, and a pair of denim shorts. She even wore military boots, laced halfway, leaving the strings to dangle as she walked. And on her left wrist hung a handful of slim golden bracelets, each one glittering in the sunlight that filtered through the snow-laden clouds.

Suzette looked back at Toboe, smiling shyly. The black wolf slowly walked over and sat by him, looking at him with a gentle gaze. The sun sank behind the horizon, and the two wolves looked upwards, watching the glowing stars glitter into view, spelling out constellations that had been there for millennia. Suzette and Toboe stayed together for nearly an hour, before the moon rose. Glancing at the yellow-white orb as it lifted higher, she remembered something. "Uh oh... We're lost." She exclaimed, looking back to the trail of paw prints that were beginning to fade under the flurries of snow. "Don't just sit there, let's go!" she cried, leaping up to her feet, Toboe following suit. They ran full out, following their noses and intuition as they searched for their pack.

Howling in anguish, Suzette stopped running. "They lost us." She murmured, and turned her pale golden gaze to Toboe, who was cursing himself for being so careless. "We'll keep searching in the morning. For now, let's just rest." She said quietly, lying down on the cold snow, placing her head on her forepaws. Toboe lay beside her, and scooted closer for warmth. As they watched the clear, star-covered sky, Suzette got an idea. "Toboe, you were called 'howling' for a reason, right?" she asked him suddenly, her plan beginning to take shape. "I guess, I howled a lot as a kid." He answered. "Excellent." She hissed, before getting to her feet. "We're gonna call to them, if they are wolves, they'll hear us for miles." She grinned wickedly, before her howl punctured the silent night air, ringing out loud. 'Hear me, hear me hear me! Please!' she howled, Toboe's voice joining her own. They sang to the moon, and they sang to their friends, hoping to Paradise that they heard them.

Blue stopped walking suddenly, perking her ear south behind them. "Stop, I hear something." She said suddenly, and each wolf stopped moving. "Hear me, hear me..." she whispered. "It's the pups!" she exclaimed, sending her own howl back to them, Hige joining her. "Follow the howl!" they chorused, until the pups were a speck on the moonlit horizon. "There they are!" Hige exclaimed, before Blue leapt into a run to them. Hige lumbered behind her, closely followed by Tsume and Kiba. Suzette and Toboe were running stretched out completely, moving swiftly towards them.

Toboe and Suzette collapsed in front of the other wolves, breathing heavily. "We found you!" Toboe gasped out, grinning happily. "Told you not to get lost, runts." Tsume grunted. "We tried to follow your trail, but it had snowed, covering up scent and tracks. Our last resort, next to dying on the spot, was to howl. And here we are." Suzette explained after she'd calmed down slightly. Blue was like a distraught mother hen, she'd discovered that she had a lot in common with Suzette, and sort of adopted her as a sibling. "Suzette, why didn't you keep up with us?" she asked, sitting down to listen. The black pup grinned sheepishly. "Well, we were...playing." She said tentatively, flushed slightly, her eyes alight with laughter. "Playing?" Tsume raised an eyebrow. "Play-fighting, you know, puppy fights." Toboe interjected. "I know what play fighting is, runt." He growled.

Cheza stepped down from Kiba's back and kneeled by both pups. "This one is glad you are safe." She said with a soft smile, gently stroking each pup's muzzle. Suzette sighed contentedly at Cheza's gentle touch, shivering in pleasure. Toboe's eyes were half-lidded as she stroked his muzzle, his right hind leg kicking as she touched him. "This one is ready to keep moving, Kiba." She announced, and climbed onto his back again, and the pair began walking. The other wolves followed them, the moon shining down on them. The rust colored pup walked closely beside Suzette, stealing quick glances at her, blushing when she caught his gaze and smiled. Suzette flicked her tail at him and smirked, trotting ahead. Toboe growled playfully, and trotted ahead as well, nipping at her paws. Their play continued for maybe five minutes, before Tsume whirled around and snarled, "Enough play!" The two pups whimpered in spite of themselves, and the older wolf smirked haughtily. "Score – Tsume one, Runts, Zero." He chuckled darkly, carrying his plume higher with his pride.

Yay, Chapter Four is done and up! ::dances:: So happy. ::grins:: Sorry about the delay though, been horrendously busy. Til chappie 5,

_-Sakura_


	6. Topaz Sunlight

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fan-fiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

**Wolfdreams – **thanks for reviewing! ::smiles::

**Shadowdude567 –** yes, this is a Toboe x OC fiction. ::sweatdrops::

**SAGA123 – **Stop it, you're making me blush! ::blushes::

**Yaminah – **Thanks, I'll try and update more often! ::smiles::

Disclaimer: I do not own Wolf's Rain, though I do own Suzette, as well as Wolf's Rain Volumes 2 and 3 on DVD. ::cheers::

Chapter Five – Topaz Sunlight

Darcia navigated his ship across the rugged landscape, following the wolves that stole Cheza away from him the first time. Arming the lasers as he came into range, he landed in front of them, leaving them with nowhere to run. Lowering the entrance platform, he stepped out into their view, rubbing the bridge of his single-sided sunglasses. "Cheza, come to me." He commanded in his thundering voice that made the flower maiden recoil slightly. The white wolf leapt in front of Cheza, baring his fangs in an angry snarl. "She'll never go with you!" he growled at Darcia, his hackles rising in his agitation. Darcia laughed, a horrible sound that made the small black wolf flinch. "She will. Come to me!" he ordered again, before the small pack raced at him, eager for his death. Pressing a button, laser beams shot out at them, sending Hige high into the air, landing with a sick crunch. "Hige!" Blue cried out, running towards him before the glowing red beam too hit her. Yelping, she landed harshly, blood flowing freely.

"She'll never go with you!" Kiba roared again, running at the ship for all he was worth, leaping into the air, prepared to rip the noble's throat out, when he was rebounded back. "A force field." He muttered darkly, charging again. Tsume and Toboe ran at him together, splitting apart before the beam hit between them. Multiple beams were fired, tearing up the hard earth, sending them both through the air. Suzette and Kiba charged Darcia together, both hit with the beam simultaneously. They flew the air, landing unceremoniously to the ground with a sickening thump. Cheza sobbed, watching as each wolf fought for her, each wolf being blown back with a laser. Suzette was hit twice more, her body cast beside Toboe's, a small whimper escaping her. Kiba leapt again, dodging one laser only to be hit with another. He was thrown back, and he staggered to his feet, snarling like a mad thing. Three more shots were fired until he stopped trying to get up, Cheza stepping forth. "Enough. This one will come with you." She announced in her musical voice, laden with sadness. She crouched by each injured wolf, stroking his or her coats gently as she joined Darcia in his ship. "Cheza...don't go..." Kiba murmured, straining to stop her. "It will be all right, this one will be okay. Come find this one." She said softly, stroking Kiba again. She walked to Darcia's ship where she was strapped in, the ship jetting off into the air.

The pack had limped to a nearby town, where they rested. After most of their wounds had healed, several of them had gone looking for food. Kiba, Tsume, and Hige stayed behind to rest while Toboe, Blue, and Suzette went off to look for food. Digging through dumpsters, they found very little, so they assumed their human images and joined the throngs of humans. Suzette managed to snatch up a bag of hot dogs, whereas Blue picked up a jug of water to clean the wounds, and Toboe who grabbed a grocery bag full of bacon and other things. Bringing back their goods, the pack eagerly split up the rations, bolting it down quickly. Suzette and Blue began to clean Kiba's wounds, he had been hurt far worse than any of the others. Blue poured the water across the wounds, then joined Suzette in licking them clean to prevent any infections. Hige sighed, looking away. "What's wrong, porky? Jealous?" Tsume smirked, reclining as best as he could injured. "Of course not!" Hige replied indignantly, before laying on his side to sleep a little.

"All clean." Suzette smiled, nudging at Kiba gently. "Thanks." He murmured, flopping over on his side to sleep a little. "We should all sleep, we'll need our energy to get Cheza back." Toboe piped up. "Good, you get first watch." Tsume grumbled out, quickly snoring. "Awwe..." Toboe wilted, before Suzette limped over to him. "I'll help." She smiled warmly, sitting beside him, making the boy blush. The auburn haired girl smiled, leaning her head on Toboe's shoulder. "Are your wounds healing all right?" she asked, looking over at him. "They're healing okay, I guess." He replied, scratching the back of his head. Suzette rolled her eyes, before flipping Toboe over on his side. "Let me be the judge of that." She smirked, leaning closer to inspect his wounds through his thick rusty fur. Toboe gulped, before flopping over boneless; she'd inspect his wounds with either him cooperating, or him fighting all the way. She snuffled at the open gash on his side. "This is healing okay, but it could get infected." She muttered to herself, before picking up the half-full jug from Kiba's wounds. Slowly pouring some of the cool water across the bloody wound, she gently began to lick at it, cleaning away impurities. His pain seemed to float away as she cleaned the wound, his eyes half-lidded in pleasure.

Blue watched the two pups out of the corner of her ice-blue eyes, smiling a little. 'Young love.' She sighed wistfully, glancing over at Hige. 'I wonder...no, he he?' she thought to herself, thinking in overtime. Kiba slept heavily, his paws twitching in his sleep. It was a nightmare, Darcia had opened Paradise, and all hell had broken loose upon the world. Cheza was dying, and he could do nothing to save her. He awoke with a start, wincing as he jostled his slowly healing wounds. "Just a nightmare..." he whispered, laying back down with his head on his forepaws, looking out at the sky. He gazed around the empty warehouse in which they snuck into, his gaze falling on the slumbering pups. Toboe and Suzette had fallen asleep, a tail across the other's nose. He couldn't help but smile just a bit, before all thoughts turned to Cheza.

Cher wandered through the city, going on instinct and the small information she'd gotten from the bookstore salesman. She walked about, following her feet until she reached a fountain. Looking over at it, she saw a tall man in a tan trench coat. He looked up at the same instant, and she knew him at once. "Hubb!" she cried out, running over to him, her high heels clicking on the stone. "Cher!" Hubb called back, running over to embrace her tightly. "How'd you find me?" Cher asked quietly, overjoyed to see him, enjoying his embrace. "I'm a detective, remember?" Hubb smiled, hugging her close. "Of course." She smiled back, stepping back. He led her out to the car, where Quent Yaiden snored in the backseat. They each opened their door, and stepped in to sit. Hubb cranked up the engine, waking up the old drunkard. Quent look over at the passenger side, staring into the cheerful clear blue-green eyes of the woman from the bar he'd been at previously. He remained silent while she gave him a gentle smile, before turning her eyes to the snowy road.

After being chased out of town by men after Blue, the pack followed the only road out of the city, one that aimed at the waning full moon that hung overhead. They ran as one, leaving but only paw prints behind them. Suzette ran ever-present at Toboe's side, Blue beside Hige and Tsume behind Kiba. Each wolf ran full stretch, with seemingly endless energy. The night sky was alight with the twinkling of innumerable stars, Suzette's mind tuned to the open pastures that she held in her paradise; dreams of running through thick emerald green fields after a huge elk gave her wings, and she ran a little faster.

Yay, chapter five! Sorry for the delay, I've been reallllllly busy lately. ::Sweatdrops:: I'll try and update more often, honest!

Sakura


	7. Opalescent Farewells

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fan fiction by Kyukutou Sakura _

Disclaimer: I don't own Wolf's Rain – buuuuut I own Suzette AND Volumes 2 and 4 on DVD! ::big grin::

**Rei-Starwind** – I'm glad you love it, that makes me very happy to know that someone else loves my story! ::smiles::

**Yaminah** – Dedicated reader, I ::heart:: thee! ::glomps:: You rock my band aids, lol

**Teenage-Angstist** – O.O You really think so? Oh my god, I have to meet you and pay you now and stuff! ::plots:: lol Thank you!

**Merlyn1382** – I have a cat named Merlyn! Only I spell it Merlin, but anyway, Thanks for reviewing.

**AnimaCutie** – Sorry to make you (and everyone else) wait so long, I've been getting my happy ass caught up in my school, and I went hunting last week. Soooo, without further blabbering, I give to you…Chapter Six! ::pomp and circumstance::

Chapter Six: Opalescent Farewells

Silk swished, the simple noise loud in the silent room, followed by the clicking of metal on tile. The female noble stood before her full-length mirror, admiring her feminine armor, the light refracting off of its golden surface. Her mask, that hid all but her chin and jawbones, glittered as well. Jagara smiled as she pulled off her mask, setting it on the velveteen rest, followed by her armor until she was clad only in a transparent silk chemise1. She admired her flawless skin, running her hands over her pale exposed flesh, frowning darkly when she touched the welt-like scar on her right shoulder. She pulled her chemise to the side, exposing the scar to the light. The only mar on her flawless body, the spot on her record, the scar in the shape of a wolf's fangs. She remembered how she received that bite, in Paradise. The white wolf had leapt, sinking his fangs deep into her flesh, the blood spilling forth, condemning her to forever seek Paradise as he had. Her lip curled in distaste, she applied cover up to the wound, watching with satisfaction as the powder blended the dark purple welts into her cream-colored flesh. "I will not be held down by some fairytale." She said to no one in particular, before stripping to nothing and climbing into the large porcelain bath that had been filled with sweet-scented soaps and hot water.

The wolves ran into Hubb, Cher, and Quent at Jagara's keep, after they had rescued Cheza. The Flower Maiden had begun to bloom, her veins darkening enough to be visible though her translucent flesh. Kiba was always near her, watching over her protectively. Quent lay wounded on the cold floor of a military van, wrapped in thick blankets for warmth. Blue and Toboe spoke quietly in the corner beside him, before Blue sat a little straighter and looked to Quent. "Toboe, I want you to promise, that if anything happens to me, that you have to stay with Pops." She said quietly, sadness heavy in her voice. Toboe blanched, before stuttering a reply. "But Blue, nothing's gonna happen to you, we're all going to Paradise." He protested, and she shook her head. "I'm half-wolf, Toboe. They won't let me into Paradise." She sighed, before pasting a small smile on her lips. "Now promise me." She said again. "I promise." The pup said dutifully, though reluctance was also in his voice. They spoke no more, as Toboe soon fell into a light sleep beside Suzette. Suzette dreamed, remembering what had happened during their journey. She and Toboe had been separated once more from their pack while searching for Cheza in Jagara's keep, Suzette had been pushed into a heat cycle, and Toboe couldn't resist her. They mated quickly in the shadows of an alleyway, and she knew that they had a fertile union. His pups grew inside her with each passing day.

Cher slept, her head on Hubb's shoulder, watching the shadowed scenery fly by. Smiling in her sleep, she dreamt of their life together before the Cheza project, how they met. When Hubb hit a particularly nasty bump in the road, she woke with a jolt. Smiling sleepily, she poked at him. "Want me to drive, Hubb?" she asked him softly, still leaning against him. The ever-courteous Hubb shook his head with renewed energy. "No, I'm fine. You sleep some more." He smiled graciously, before pressing a chaste kiss to her forehead as she fell asleep. Flushing, the detective kept driving. There was a dip in the road, one he couldn't see. There was a sudden jolt, and the van slid to a stop, at the very edge of a snowy cliff. The wolves and Yaiden carefully got out of the van, followed by Hubb. Cher handed Cheza to Hubb, and just as she let go, the van began to fall. Hubb watched in slow motion as the van tumbled down the cliff, Cher still inside, his fingers outstretched to her. Her cerulean eyes were wide with fear and surprise as she fell, her gaze locked with his until the snow clouded their vision. "Cher!" Hubb cried out, and handed Cheza to the wolf Kiba, before climbing as fast as he could down the Cliffside.

Cher lay still, trying not to move from her position a few feet away from the over-turned van. She watched as her vision blurred, Hubb raced clumsily to her side. He gently pulled her into his arms, staring deeply into her eyes. "Cher, you'll be fine!" he kept muttering to her, hugging her gently, but his grip was firm and unwavering. "Hubb…" Cher said softly, listening to him speak. "Don't speak…just listen. Next time, we'll get married again. And we'll live in the country in a big house, and we'll fill it with kids…and we'll get a bird, Cher! A white one, like the one we had…please don't leave me…" he pleaded with her, but it was in vain. "I don't regret any of it Hubb…I still love you…" she whispered, smiling weakly, before going limp in his grasp. "Cher?" the detective gently shook her shoulders. "Cher…no…" Hubb whimpered, before burying his face into her neck, and sobbed forcefully. "Cher, Cher no!" he choked out between sobs. The wolves watched on, watched Hubb slowly stop crying, dry his tears, and give Cher the ocean burial, her body sinking into the deep, icy depths of the nearby pool. "Farewell…Cher." He said quietly, holding in his fist her brightly colored scarf, which he tucked into his inside jacket pocket.

Wah, I can't believe I typed that! ::cries:: Sorry for the delay… ::sniffles:: Been busy. But I'll prolly update tomorrow. ::smiles:: Ja mata ne! ::winks::

Definitions:

1. Chemise – French term for a sexy nightgown worn under the daywear.


	8. Translucent Beginnings

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fan fiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

Disclaimer: I only own Suzette ::huggles preggy puppy:: and WR volumes 2 and 3 on DVD. ::biiiiiiig grin::

**Ephona-** Slow down there sugar. You really didn't have to review on every single chapter. ::sweatdrops:: I…

glad you like it

glad you like it

I'm continuing it

Yes, she will (she has, read chapter six again)

Whenever I can

thank you

Yes, I am going to continue.

Chapter Seven: Translucent Beginnings

Ice crunched under Toboe's feet as he followed Quent through the thick snowstorm. His fangs chattered in the cold, but he tried to ignore it, his eyes trained on Quent's faltering form, the despised rifle clenched in frigid hands. He stepped quicker, trying to stay by his side, keeping true to his promise with Blue. "Pops, wait up!" he cried out to the old human, who shrugged his shoulder in annoyance. "Damn wolf." He muttered under his breath, before shuddering at a particularly fierce gust of snowy wind penetrated his trench coat. His teeth chattered, and he wished for a beer to warm him up. Looking around as the wind began to slow, he saw an elaborate headdress through the whirling flurries. Training his rifle on it, he saw the face of a noble, the Darcia guy. He pulled the gun down, before throwing it back up as the runtish pup as it jumped between himself and the noble. "Stop fighting!" the wolf shouted at them, his human form blurry to Quent's aging vision. Darcia smirked under his mask, and shot at the wolf, missing, but making him flinch. His cold, emotionless laughter echoed around them, and Quent shot at him. A pained yelp made him freeze…he'd hit the pup instead of the other man.

Suzette limped behind Blue and the others, before a distant howl of pain reached her ears. "Toboe…" she breathed, turning to face the sound. "Toboe!" she cried out, and began to lumber towards the sound. Blue, Hige, Kiba, and Tsume raced after her, Cheza clinging o Kiba's back as they loped across the snow, Suzette stumbling about as she ran. "Suzette, wait!" Blue tried to reason with the pup, but she kept running. "Toboe's hurt, I can feel it!" she yelled back to the others, and quickened her pace as fast as a pregnant wolf could run.

A second shot rang out across the tundra, and Quent fell to his knees. The noble laughed manically, his pistol still aimed at the old man. "Fools." He laughed, before shooting Toboe as well, the already bleeding pup howling out once more. His red blood melted the snow where it fell, as he limped to Quent's side. "I promised her…I promised Blue that I owuldn't let you get hurt…" he murmured, tripping once, his blood flowing freely. Quent fell to his side, his own blood seeping from his wounded shoulder. The bullet had passed cleanly through, but he was old and it had punctured one of his lungs. Breathing hurt so much, he thought, wheezing a little as the wolf came closer. "Pops, you have to make it…I promised her. Please Pops…" Toboe spoke, making it to his side, collapsing. He used the last of his strength to pull himself next to Quent to warm him. A sudden realization hit him. "It was you back then. It was you boy, you saved me…" he said in surprise, his gloved hand gently stroking the copper fur. "I'll just…rest here for a while." Toboe said softly, his breathing slowling. His eyes looked around for a moment, registering the arrival of the other wolves. "I did it Blue…Suzette…" he murmured, before speaking his last, the final breath leaving him. Blue stood over Quent, her eyes wide with fear, staring into his. "Don't go…" she whimpered, and Quent smiled gently. "Blue…that's my girl." He murmured, moving his hand to stroke her muzzle, but it remained on Toboe's pelt. Suzette sat on her haunches, staring with wide, teary eyes at the sight. Toboe lay on his side, his blood beginning to ice over, Quent's arm over him like a security blanket. "Toboe…no…" she whimpered, the tears falling from her eyes in her human form, joining Blue in mourning. Cheza cried as well, making no sound as the rivulets of water fell from her brilliant ruby eyes. Blue and Suzette howled simultaneously, their voices mingling as they sang their sorrow, both of their loved ones dead. Tsume slid to a sudden stop, his golden eyes boring into the scene.

All of the wolves howled together, long and loud, the music they made echoing across the tundra. The snow had stopped long before, and everything was clear. Kiba smelled the air, and frowned. "Darcia." He growled out, before turning towards the direction of the scent's origin, an impossibly high mountain.

"I'll catch up, you guys go on ahead. I need to talk to the runt." Tsume said gruffly, sitting back by the runt. Suzette did the same, curling up with some difficulty by her mate's body. "Don't mind me…speak to him." She whispered, licking his jaw line submissively, the warmth beginning to leave him. Tsume watched the sight, and felt his eyes burning with unshed tears. He spoke in a quiet tone, his voice reaching Suzette's ears. "You annoyed me. That was the first impression I had of you. You reminded me so much of Gehl, the boy who always followed me. I guess you were like him in the end, both stopping before you reached your goal. I guess I wasn't enough to save you both. I couldn't save you. You made me realize my sins again. Remember how you asked me where I got the scar on my chest? When I ran from my pack, afraid. They banished me. I wanted to take you to Paradise. I wanted a lot of things, but I wanted most for you to be happy. To know that I cared. You kept me going this far. Without you, I would still be in that city until I died. If you hadn't urged me, I would have never jumped off of that bridge. You always knew what to say to make me satisfied, while I never said kind words to you. Like when you got your first kill, Kiba and Hige complimented you while I said nothing. I was proud of you, I was proud that you grew up then, became an adult. I was proud of you then, I still am." He paused to look at Suzette, who draped her head over his body, still crying, though she had begun a silent sobbing, where tears fall and no sound comes.

"You always scolded me at how I treated the humans. I never did, and still don't, like them. But you loved those odd creatures, you were a sucker for them. To think that you died protecting a human makes me angry with them all for an instant. You were brave, runt. You weren't the whiny little brat anymore, you matured. You wanted to reach Paradise more than anything, and your determination kept me going. You spoke of Paradise in your sleep, and it annoyed the hell out of me. But it gave me the courage to keep moving. It's sad isn't it? A runt like you giving me courage. Heh. But now that I think about it, you've grown so much. When we met, you were the smallest and scrawniest pup I'd ever seen…maybe if you'd lived a little longer you'd have gotten bigger than me. You could have done a lot of things if you hadn't died, like see your pups. But you were stupid runt. You should have looked up to Kiba, Blue, and Hige. They were all brave, honorable wolves, kid. You shouldn't have bothered with me in the first place. I told you, I didn't need any friends. Friends were things I was going to betray anyway. But you never gave up, and you always stayed at my side. I was thankful for that you know, but I never told you. I wish I could have told you that. You asked me once why the humans and the wolves and the flowers couldn't live together in harmony. I told you that it was the humans' fault, and you again scolded me. I wish you didn't have to die. Runt, I knew that if you were going to die, you would die with the humans. You loved them so much. But I have to go now. Kiba and the others are gonna leave me here, with the two bodies and the other runt. But just know this…I wanted to take you to Paradise more than anything, because if anyone deserved to go to paradise, it would be you." He finished, slightly stunned as a tear trailed down his face, followed by several more.

Suzette pulled herself from Toboe's barely warm body. Drying her tears, the wolf leaned close to Toboe's ear. "I know you can still hear me Toboe…I love you…see you in Paradise." She whispered, a final silver tear trailing down her cheek. Sniffing, she ran as fast as she could with Tsume, the landscape rolling by them like snowy wildfire. "We won't make it.." she hissed under her breath, but still she ran. They ran until they finally reached the mountain, and began to climb.

A/N: Oh my god, I cried while I wrote that… ;; and if any of it sounds familiar, it's because I had to get a couple ideas from _Echoes_ by Viola Ophiuchus. )

A good read if you need a good cry. ::sniffles:: Til next update,

Sakura


	9. Incandescent Sorrows and The Entrance to...

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura _

Disclaimer: I only own Suzette and DVDs 2 and 3. ::huggles the puppy:: poor baby…I'm so mean to her. ::sniffles::

**Author's Note:** This is the last official chapter; I will be making an epilogue, as well as a possible sequel. I could use some ideas on the sequel, and you, the reader, are my invaluable muse. So any kind of ideas for a sequel to Crystal Rain would be considered invaluable, and I'd make whoever comes up with the winning name and best idea would be my co-authors for the sequel and any other stories. ::smiles:: Email the ideas to me through or Thanks!

**Ephona** – Thanks again for reviewing.

**Yaminah** – We have to keep the SPOILERS away! ::cowers from the spoilers:: lol I'm writing, and I have something you might wanna take a peek at…read my Author's Note! ::biiiiiiig smile::

Chapter Eight: Incandescent Sorrows and The Entrance to Paradise

Tsume helped Suzette climb the Cliffside, holding her arm firmly as they leapt from cliff hold to cliff hold. "Tsume…look..!" Suzette cried out, watching in seemingly slow motion as Hubb, the human detective from before, fell nose-first from the cliff. He smiled at the two wolves, his voice a sigh on the blustering winds. "It'll okay this way…I'll get to see Cher again…" His body crashed into the boulders at the foot of the mountain. Still barely alive, the detective sat still, opening his eyes slowly. Cher sat beside him, and they smiled, while he took the cigar from his pocket and held it between his teeth and inhaled Cher's clean scent from the scarf that fluttered down. "I made it this far…I hope they make it…" he whispered, before closing his eyes and falling into the deepest sleep of all.

Darcia cared his fangs at Kiba, Hige, and Blue, his blue human's eye misshapen, his wolf's eye staring them down with the evilest glint. "You won't make it to my Paradise, foolish wolves. Give me the Flower Maiden!" he roared, his hackles rising in anticipation of the inescapable battle. Kiba snarled, standing in front of Cheza protectively. "She'll never go with you!" he growled, baring his own fangs, his triangular white ears pinned back in agitation. Hige and Blue stood beside him, hackles raised and fangs bared, ready to tear him to pieces. Without warning Kiba moved towards Darcia, the two enemies circling each other, finding the other's weaknesses and vulnerabilities. "You can't win, stupid pup." Darcia taunted in his deep, malicious voice, his eyes boring into Kiba's. "You talk big, Darcia." Kiba replied icily, before jumping out at him. Fangs sank into flesh, blood spurted forth, and Kiba fell to one knee. "You won't win. Give me Cheza!" the crazed noble roared again, before biting at Kiba with great anger. Kiba got to his feet and whipped around, grazing Darcia's face with his own fangs. "No. You will fall here, Darcia." Kiba snarled out with unmatched ferocity. "I was hoping you'd resist." The dark wolf chuckled manically. The battle raged on.

Kiba lay on his side, wounded, hardly capable of moving. Hige and Blue were knocked aside, slowly getting to their feet as Darcia threw Cheza away from them, her fragile body hitting the ground hard, the red moon rising in the dark sky, out-shining all stars. Leaping at Darcia in a frenzy, she howled out, "You killed Pops!" Her fangs sank into his hindquarters, smirking in victory as he yelped once in pain. He whipped around and tore her away from him, an icy boulder snapping her spine. She lay on the snow, broken and quivering, bleeding freely. Darcia stood over her, emotionlessly pressing his paw over her throat. She choked, and tried to move but was frozen. Hige growled darkly, sinking his fangs into his hindleg, the bulky wolf enraged so that he would not release. Darcia removed his paw, a miffed expression on his maw. "Pathetic." He ground out, whirling around and slamming Hige into another boulder, the wolf crumpling away. Satisfied for the moment, Darcia began to leap towards where Cheza had crawled, the mouth of the dead volcano where the moon was closest.

Hige limped to Blue's side, sitting down heavily by her head. Her voice was small, and broken as she spoke softly. "Hige? Is that you? I can't see you Hige…" she whimpered out, her blue eyes unseeing. "I'm right here, Blue. I promised that I'd never leave your side, remember? We made a pact Blue." Hige said softly, stroking her head gently. "That feels nice…" she said softly, smiling a little as the breath left her body. Tears rolled down Hige's cheeks as he knew she was gone, and he remained. He cried for a few minutes, still stroking Blue's head as Tsume and Suzette leapt onto the cliff. "Hige…Blue…" she whimpered, and collapsed to her knees. "Get up Hige, you're going to make it." Tsume urged gruffly. "Tsume…I'm in so much pain. End it please…" Hige whispered, smiling a little at the silver wolf. "No, that's crazy talk Hige, you're going to be fine, now get up!" he protested. "You know and I know it Tsume…now please. Put me down like a wolf…do it with your own fangs." He whispered, closing his eyes and Tsume nodded. The fangs went to his neck, and he smiled. "Thank you…I hope I see you in Paradise." He whispered, before speaking no more as Tsume ended his misery. Leaping up the mountain with Suzette, they watched for a second as Kiba and Darcia fought. Kiba was slung over the side of the cliff, Darcia's evil gaze turning to them.

"Stop him! " Kiba howled out as he fell, and Tsume leapt at Darcia. 'He killed Toboe, the old man, Hige, and Blue…he's gonna die now.' He thought, snapping his fangs at the noble. Darcia bit and snarled back, fangs meeting flesh. Tsume stepped back, watching Darcia eye the pregnant pup. "Suzette!" he roared, leaping in front of his attack with renewed strength. Darcia had leapt at Suzette, his eyes darkened with bloodlust as he tried to kill the pregnant pup. Instead of meeting deep black fur, his fangs sank deeply into brilliant silver. "You missed." Tsume coughed out, craning his neck to sink his own fangs into Darcia's back. The noble rolled over across a series of sharp boulders, Tsume releasing his grip as Darcia slammed his back into the cliffside. "Run Suzette!" Tsume shouted, and the pup nodded. She bolted up the side of the mountain, keeping balance with one arm as she wrapped one around her swollen belly. She reached the top before Darcia, who stayed behind to toy with Tsume. His cries reached her ears, and she cried out in answer. Taking a deep breath, she saw Cheza crawling to the water's edge. "Cheza!" she cried, and began to run to her side to help. Cheza held a hand to point behind her, but the sudden realization that Darcia was behind her hit her just as his fangs sank into her hind legs. "Silly little bitch." Darcia smirked, eyeing her swollen stomach. "Expecting? Expect this." He snarled, and sank his fangs into her back muscles, making her howl out and yelp in pain, her cries reaching Tsume's ears.

Kiba crouched beside Tsume. "Give me your hand, you'll make it." He said to Tsume. "No, you have to save Suzette, and protect Cheza! You were the only who was going to make it to Paradise, I always suspected it! That's why everyone is dying – you are the key to opening Paradise! Now go stop him!" Tsume snarled, and Kiba nodded reluctantly. "I hope we meet again…in Paradise." Tsume said quietly, sending out a single, loud howl as he died, hemorrhaging, his blood leaving him as quickly as a second thought.

Suzette lay trembling on her side, Darcia deciding how to kill her. "I could rip out your precious babies and let you watch them die…or rip out your throat." He murmured, "Oh the possibilities. It's delicious!" he laughed. "You will never get to Paradise." she growled, rolling her eye to glare at him. "You talk too much for a stupid pregnant runt." he snarled out, and lowered his fangs to tear out her pups. She closed her eyes and surrendered, waiting for his fangs to pierce her flesh and rip her pups from her, but she felt no pain. Opening her eyes in surprise, she saw Kiba standing over her protectively, Darcia sprawled a few yards away. "Kiba..!" she said in surprise. She craned her neck, and to her dismay, she could not see Tsume. "Tsume…?" she whimpered, expecting the big gray wolf to leap up and reprimand her. But he did not. "He's gone…" Kiba told her quietly, before moving to stand between Darcia and Suzette. "Suzu, go help Cheza if you can." Kiba said softly, and stared down the noble. With a grunt, Suzette managed to get to her feet and limp over to Cheza's side. "This one is glad to see you mostly unharmed." The flower maiden spoke softly, her voice like the wind rustling through tall grass, thin and wispy. "It's going to be okay, Cheza." Suzette said in a hushed, though reassuring voice, finding strength within her own words. The two females watched in quiet awe as Kiba and Darcia fought, fangs meeting flesh and blood soaking the snow.

Kiba lay in a ruffled pile of bloodied fur, whimpering softly as he tried to stand. Darcia stalked over to Cheza and Suzette, who stood in front of the flower maiden. Her tail bristled out and hackles as high as they could go, she bared her fangs, her paws digging into the ice as she prepared to defend Cheza with her life. "Foolish bitch." He said with a manic chuckle, leaping suddenly at her, his fangs parried by her own. Her own fangs tore his jaw open, his blood pooling freely. "Now who's the foolish bitch?" she growled out, her ruff bristled with pride and contempt for the wolf before her. "You still are." He grumbled out, and leapt again, too quickly for her eyes to follow. His fangs met the thick ruff of her throat, surpassing the protective coat and sinking into her flesh. "Toboe!" she howled out, and fell silent and limp in Darcia's grip. Dropping the bitch to the ground, Darcia laughed at his victory. Kiba walked stiff-legged towards him, intent on his death.

"You've fallen, Darcia. Attacking pregnant girls is how you get your satisfaction?" the white wolf asked him coldly, his golden eyes boring into his blue and gold ones. Darcia snorted. "Of course not. She fought back, and I've killed your comrades. I was satisfied with killing the first runt, but I couldn't stop. You all have to die." He said in a rational tone, ending with a high, insane laugh. "You're crazy, the Paradise you'll open is false!" Kiba retorted, and bared his fangs again. "Let's finish this." He growled again. "It's already finished." Darcia smiled sadistically, as the red moon seemed to swell from their position, and the light fell on Cheza. Darcia knocked Kiba on his side, then ran lopsidedly to Cheza, picking her up with his fangs, her green blood filling his mouth and splashing on the snow. Suzette opened one eye weakly. "Cheza…no!" she whimpered, and willed herself to stand, blood dripping steadily from her throat. "No…you can't…no Darcia!" she screamed, and stumbled at him, her fangs bared in her blood-loss induced anger. She sank her fangs into his back, making him drop Cheza and wail once in pain. "I thought I killed you!" he howled angrily, turning around to knock her loose, but she was unconscious from the loss of blood. "She's basically dead, so why does she still bite?" he wondered aloud, before stumbling dizzily. "This one's blood is poison. You are not protected by the Flower. You will die." Cheza spoke in a quiet, determined tone, her ruby-like eyes glaring into him with pity. Darcia wobbled unsteadily on his feet, wincing as Suzette's vice-like grip on his back loosened til she fell to the ground.

Darcia murmured insanely, his words jumbled and spoken quickly. "No, I'm not dying. No…Paradise." He laughed highly, before stumbling to the water's edge. "You all were wrong. I am opening Paradise!" he laughed, and put one paw into the water. Light backfired, and his body melted away, leaving his blue human's eye hovering in midair, dropping into the water with an inaudible _ploosh!_. Cheza sighed, crying out as her body elongated and her limbs grew longer, her nails becoming claws. "Kiba…" she whispered, and the wolf stumbled to her side. "Cheza, what's happening?" he asked in quiet wonderment as the flower began to bloom. "This one is blooming, Kiba. You protected the Flower, so they shall bloom again. Kiba you must find this one again, paradise was open for a moment, but you must find this one again, so we can open it completely. Remember…" Cheza said softly, stroking Kiba's coat with her claws, accidentally nicking his flesh, and blood flowed. Cheza continued to bleed, her green blood pooling to the water's edge, Kiab's red blood mixing with hers as she looked upward and burst into her true form, lunar flower seeds. "Cheza…?" he whimpered, holding only her tattered clothing that rattled with her seeds. "Cheza…" he whispered, and the tears fell sluggishly from his eyes. Suzette's ragged whimper brought him from his stupor, and he limped to her side. "Kiba…It's going to be all right. I can see Toboe…and the others. They're in Paradise, Kiba…it's beautiful…I'll see you there, my friend." She murmured, a faraway look in her eyes. The blood stained her face and body, visible even on her black coat. "Remember…find us all again, Kiba. Like Cheza said…" she said, exhaling slightly. With a small sigh, she closed her eyes and did not stir again.

Kiba was lost now, all of his friends were dead, and he was alone. But he had always been alone, even in the beginning. Flopping onto his side, he waited for his imminent death, the ice slowly melting beneath him. Within minutes, the ice gave way and he sank into the cold, icy depths, his breath leaving him as he surrendered and died peacefully.

Author's Note: Oh my god, I can't believe I wrote that! ::sniffles:: Well, this was the last "chapter", so I'm gonna go work on my epilogue, and any ideas for a sequel. Ja mata ne!

_Sakura_


	10. Author's Note

**Author's Note: Sorry guys for the supreme delay between updates, but I've been über-busy lately, what with high school and stuff…. ::sighs:: Well, I'm almost done with my Epilogue, so that should be a breath of fresh air into this corpse of a fanfiction. Lol Anyway, I received only one indication that someone is interested in a sequel to Crystal Rain. I'll re-post my email address, and I'll let it run for two weeks. This is a contest, of sorts. **

**Address 1: x g o n e a s t r a y y a h o o . c o m**

**Address 2: s i m p l e m i n d e d 6 m s n . c o m **

**Just remove the space after the spaces after each letter, and we're in business. **

**Well, I guess that oughta do it…but here's a little update on my part. **

**Christmas was good, the New Year's party I went to sucked, but whatever, lol. Happy New Year! **

**-_Sakura_**


	11. Epilogue: Crystal Rain

Crystal Rain

_A Wolf's Rain fanfiction by Kyukutou Sakura_

Epilogue: Crystal Rain

The world teemed with life, the traffic of the city streets moving like blood through an artery. The sun shone down from above, with no reminder of the horror faced within the past billion years. The world had come so close to ending, but a miracle prevented it…the sacrifice of one single entity of its comrades. Depicted in the fabled Book of the Moon, the entity was a white Wolf, a creature who would lead the ruined world to Paradise, a place of Ultimate happiness. Paradise was the Wolves' Heaven, in a sense.

In a laboratory hidden from the rest of the world, an attractive blond woman in her early twenties documented the progress of her experiments. She watched in caffeine-deprived awe as a single, cream-colored flower opened in a slow bloom. The flower radiated a pure, gentle aura, a slowly pulsating white color. The doctor, Cher Degre, took torrid notes in her journal, before administering the growth serum created from an arcane form of alchemy that died out centuries before her. The serum mixed in the tank that held the flower, a huge glass ball that was filled to the brim with pale green, glittering fluid.

The serum melded with the green fluid, changing it to a more clear emerald color. The flower reacted almost immediately, growing in size until it closed its great petals to 'sleep'. Cher looked at her watch. "Damn, is it morning already?" she frowned, before watching the flower sleep. Inside the petals she knew what grew, and knew that the flower acted as a womb for the Flower Maiden of Legend. The Maiden that would lead the Wolves to Paradise on the night of a Red Full Moon.

"Soon…" his voice was breathy and mechanical, and eerily empty. "We'll do it right, this time." He continued, the life lines connected to his body began to hiss, snapping off with a squelching _pop!_ "Yes…Lord Darcia." A small, graceful female bowed, helping him to his feet. "Evil grows yet in this world. We've been given a second chance." The man called Darcia hissed out, as his maidservant seer assisted him with his clothing, placing the eyepatch over his left eye. His wolf's eye. "So lucky that we made such accurate notes last time, hmm?" Darcia chuckled maliciously, before opening the windows to the new world. The new world that would soon end, and allow him to enter Paradise. He remembered a name from his past life…Cheza. The Flower Maiden. The Key to opening and entering Paradise. His grandfather's alchemic creation. "It is time…once more." He murmured, and drew the windows shut.


End file.
